If retailers operated under a universal creed, then it should be “Know thy customer.” But how well do you really know your customers?

Demographics might tell you your average shopper is female and between the ages of 34 and 50. That’s an enormous, exciting market to capture, but the numbers say little about how your customers live, what interests them, or their perceptions and experiences on buying.

Consequently, many marketers and retailers rely on psychographic analysis to fill in the blanks. Psychographic analysis goes beyond demographic research because it digs deeper into the customer’s psyche, painting the customer profile with a narrower brush.

Independent retailers may not have thousands of dollars in the budget to employ an ad agency to research this expanded profile. Similar results can come from extended conversations with 20 to 30 customers and internal brainstorming with employees.

Whatever the method, the key is to get into the mind of the buyer and really understand what drives them to buy a product or service, says William Tincup, principal at Starr Tincup, a Fort Worth-based marketing agency.

“Once you know the drivers, the marketing message becomes more simple,” he says.

Research helps complete that profile on how to reach the right audience.